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How to import a movie clip into iMovie along with the english subtitles

I would like to use a short clip from a non-english speaking film in an iMovie project, and I would like to include the english subtitles. How do I do this? The m4v file that I generate has the subtitles, but the default is disabled and I don't know how to change this? Thanks for your help

iMac (M1, 2021)

Posted on Oct 19, 2023 9:20 AM

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Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Posted on Oct 20, 2023 6:27 PM

You have it pretty close to right. When you do Command-Shift-5 a control bar will appear at the bottom of the screen. Run your cursor over the various icons for instructions on how to record the screen. To stop recording, click on the little black box at the top of the Mac screen. See the following link:


How to record the screen on your Mac - Apple Support


For better sound in the final product I have found it best to plug in headphones or ear buds into your Mac's microphone jack.


Make a 30 second video to practice with.


EDIT: The link also shows how to do a screen recording using the QuickTimePlayer app.


-- Rich




7 replies
Question marked as Top-ranking reply

Oct 20, 2023 6:27 PM in response to amg557

You have it pretty close to right. When you do Command-Shift-5 a control bar will appear at the bottom of the screen. Run your cursor over the various icons for instructions on how to record the screen. To stop recording, click on the little black box at the top of the Mac screen. See the following link:


How to record the screen on your Mac - Apple Support


For better sound in the final product I have found it best to plug in headphones or ear buds into your Mac's microphone jack.


Make a 30 second video to practice with.


EDIT: The link also shows how to do a screen recording using the QuickTimePlayer app.


-- Rich




Oct 19, 2023 9:41 AM in response to amg557

I would think that if the M4v has embedded subtitles, they should import into iMovie like any other text or title. So I am not quite sure what you mean when you say that the "default is disabled".


You might be able to use the free download, Handbrake, to insert the subtitles. Take a look at the thread in this link:


https://discussions.apple.com/thread/254742659


-- Rich


Oct 19, 2023 10:35 AM in response to Rich839

Thanks Rich - I'll take a look. Sorry to be unclear - what i meant is that when I use Handbrake to make the m4v file, it imports the subtitles but when I play the file in Quicktime it will not include them - I have to go to the subtitle menu in Quicktime and select 'english' to get it to play (so the default is no subtitles). When I import the clip into iMovie, it does not contain the subtitles, and i can't figure out how to turn them on. So the subtitles are on the m4v file - they just don't seem to import into iMovie with the video file

Oct 19, 2023 10:43 AM in response to amg557

One workaround would be to use the Command-Shift-5 feature on your Mac to create a screen recording of the movie with subtitles that you play on QuickTimePlayer. Then you can import the screen recorded video, containing the subtitles, into iMovie.


Awkward, I know. But if nothing else works then it may be worth a try.


-- Rich

Oct 19, 2023 10:58 AM in response to Rich839

Thanks again! I didn't know one could do that. Let me see if I understand you correctly - I start the movie on my Mac on Full screen and hit Command-Shift-5, and it saves a copy of the movie as an mp4 file on my mac? I assume I have to watch the movie all the way through?


Thanks for your help. As my stepdaughter said to me, "you just don't understand technology!"


She's right.

How to import a movie clip into iMovie along with the english subtitles

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